New electric-bike standards to upgrade sector

Chinese authorities proposed on Thursday stricter technical standards for electric bicycles, with the top designed speed of e-bikes capped at 25 kilometers per hour, to enhance safety and better regulate the country's rapidly growing e-bike sector.

The new standards, proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and several other ministries, are part of China's broader efforts to improve product safety and streamline industry standards in the e-bike sector. The new standards were open for public opinion from Thursday.

One of the key updates is the enhancement of fire-retardant functions of e-bikes. The revised standards called for stricter flame resistance requirements for nonmetallic materials used in electric bicycles, while also limiting the use of plastic components.